In vivo tools are used in diagnosis and therapeutics of diverse body systems. In vivo sensing can enhance a practitioner's ability to safely and easily detect internal body features and occurrences with minimal intrusion. In vivo diagnostic and/or therapeutic processes (such as surgical procedures, biopsy or sampling procedures and delivering treatment to specific in vivo locations) may be enhanced due to the miniature sensors available today. Miniature sensors can be used for sensing in vivo conditions in body lumens, such as, temperature, pH or pressure. Also, image sensors are used for the visual inspection of body lumens or cavities. Medical procedures in body lumens and cavities, such as laparoscopic surgery procedures and gastroenterology procedures are typically performed by medical devices that are passed through trocars or endoscopes which usually comprise viewing or imaging means for simultaneously viewing and performing a procedure in vivo.
The endoscopes available today typically comprise an outer tube (which is inserted into the body) with an image sensor and viewing lens located at the distal tip of the tube, a plurality of light transmitting fibers for bringing illumination to a site of interest in the body lumen and channels inside the outer tube. The channels are utilized for air insertion, for insufflation of the body lumen, for water injection, for cleaning the viewing lens, for suction and for passing devices, such as forceps, stents, dissecting or tissue removal devices, catheters etc. The outer tube is connected to a control body which the physician holds and which may feature buttons and pulley wheels for activation and control of the endoscope and channel functions. An umbilical cable connects the control body to a light source and video processor.
The angle of view afforded by an image sensor or the accessibility of any other sensor that is located at the endoscope tip to remote or concealed portions of the body lumen are dependent on the maneuverability of the endoscope tip. Typically, the endoscope tip may have a limited range of movement so that a wide angle of view, for example, is usually achieved by specific design of the viewing lens or other optical elements at the endoscope tip.
Autonomous sensors may access portions of body lumens that are inaccessible to endoscopes, however autonomous devices are not easily controlled and many of the procedures that can be performed utilizing endoscopes can not be performed by such autonomous devices.
There is therefore a need for facilitated performance of in vivo procedures.